Grub bootloader crash now only loads into GRUB CLI or windows | Linux Mint Community🍵 | Page 1

fathom lake Jul 4, 2025, 10:00 AM

#

This morning I booted my PC, it loaded into the grub boot loader as usual. When I left it to auto select Cinnamon it crashed, I did not take a screenshot of the error
I have a dual boot with Windows 10 setup.
When I enter "exit" in the CLI it boots windows.
I have tried to use boot repair via a USB.
When I search the directories of the partitions I cannot find the usual root folders - home, etc, boot.
It only shows a EFI/ folder and a system volume information/ folders, same with the window disk.
Should note that I'm fairly new to Linux and that I did neglect to update my packages in Linux for at least a week.

coarse shell Jul 4, 2025, 10:06 AM

#

I would like to help you but this is beyond my skills

fathom lake Jul 4, 2025, 10:21 AM

#

I should mention also I have 2 separate hard disks for each OS (both SSDs) and for the first hd0,1 partition the efi\ folder does have an \efi\ubuntu\ folder inside so I'm sure that one is the one for Linux Mint

#

I'm guessing something has happened to the file system for Linux mint so its unreadable by GRUB, since I'm seeing online that I'm supposed to be able to find a root directory for Mint on one of the partitions and I am not

fathom lake Jul 4, 2025, 4:23 PM

#

Quick update, after trying some things I'm fairly certain the only thing that loads on the partition where Mint is installed the lost+found/ folder

coarse shell Jul 4, 2025, 5:59 PM

#

@vernal gulch Can you help him? I honestly don't know what to do.

coarse shell Jul 4, 2025, 6:00 PM

#

fathom lake Quick update, after trying some things I'm fairly certain the only thing that lo...

So you succeeded?

vernal gulch Jul 4, 2025, 6:01 PM

#

fathom lake Quick update, after trying some things I'm fairly certain the only thing that lo...

yep seems something blew away ur linux install.

#

so make 1,000,000,000% sure this is done: #1193345280733622272 message

#

then do msinfo32 from Windows run box, and note the "BIOS MODE"
then boot the live ISO of Mint from usb or DVD in same mode

#

@fathom lake copy that?

fathom lake Jul 4, 2025, 6:13 PM

#

Got that yea, though I'm gonna try and fix it on the weekend some time. Tired from work

#

Out of curiosity what would this do to the live ISO?

#

More accurately how would this help in me either fixing or figuring out what the issue is with Mint?

vernal gulch Jul 4, 2025, 6:14 PM

#

well u can browse using the Disks app

#

i suspect partition is damn near empty

#

then u can reinstall linux

fathom lake Jul 4, 2025, 6:15 PM

#

Ah, there's what i didnt want to hear

#

I did do that already mind you, minus the changing of the BIOS mode for the bootable

vernal gulch Jul 4, 2025, 6:16 PM

#

did u create a separate home partition during mint install, last time?

fathom lake Jul 4, 2025, 6:16 PM

#

fathom lake Quick update, after trying some things I'm fairly certain the only thing that lo...

That's how I got this update from

fathom lake Jul 4, 2025, 6:17 PM

#

vernal gulch did u create a separate home partition during mint install, last time?

Dont think so, I'm not sure why there are 2 partitions on the disk for Mint though

vernal gulch Jul 4, 2025, 6:17 PM

#

basically u want to mount ALL partitions using the disks app 's play icon. every single one, then run a command n show its results here

#

lsblk -o NAME,TYPE,MODEL,LABEL,SIZE,FSSIZE,FSTYPE,FSUSED,FSAVAIL,MOUNTPOINT

fathom lake Jul 4, 2025, 6:18 PM

#

Just for Mint's disk I presume? Not including the windows one

vernal gulch Jul 4, 2025, 6:18 PM

#

Well, all really , to see sizing n health

fathom lake Jul 4, 2025, 6:19 PM

#

Ok

#

Like I said though, I'll do that tomorrow. Hope that isn't an issue

vernal gulch Jul 4, 2025, 6:20 PM

#

np

coarse shell Jul 4, 2025, 8:28 PM

#

@vernal gulch Thanks a lot anyway, you know as you see I normally try to help others but for me GRUB in some cases is a nightmare and seeing that you were good I knew I could count on you

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 10:51 AM

#

rn_image_picker_lib_temp_28f88c42-ed1d-47f5-9f76-c27fcbd12e34.jpg

#

Note the very first drive is the USB (sda), the second the windows drive and the third the Mint drive

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 11:17 AM

#

Also two other things I wanna mention.
Poking through the BIOS menu I found a setting for fast boot.... it was on. Though I'm not 100% sure if it was on the whole time since at one point during my initial research I went into the BIOS since I did something to the fans and they were at a WAY too high of an RPM and it wanted me to save a bunch of stuff.
The other thing is the windows drive had a few blocks in the Disks app that did not have the play button (unmountable, presuming). Dunno what that means, didn't look too deep into what they were.

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 3:58 PM

#

fathom lake Also two other things I wanna mention. Poking through the BIOS menu I found a se...

that's fine.

#

it's a bit hard to judge from the pic above cuz it cuts off a bit the text at 80 columns width output

#

open the DISKS app, and show the linux nvme drive,

#

moreover, click the main linux partition in it

#

actually, i see now from the prior pic

#

nvme1n1p2

#

190.4 GiB used

#

so at least it's not utterly blown out

#

what you do is go to that partition in DISKS app, and click the blue link where it says "Mounted at"

#

then, navigate to the etc folder in that partition

#

find the fstab file inside etc folder

#

then show contents of that file

#

(just double click to open, it's plain text)

#

see which exact partition the line about "boot/efi" is

#

lsblk -f will show you UUID's and partition names

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 4:39 PM

#

This is what I get when I mount it and click the blue link

rn_image_picker_lib_temp_ff26ac19-1d55-4460-9656-795b51438ea8.jpg

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 4:40 PM

#

vernal gulch find the **fstab** file inside etc folder

Unless I'm being particularly stupid I don't know why it's empty

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 4:41 PM

#

i think u picked wrong nvme

#

unless the names got reassigned since the terminal pic u showed

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 4:44 PM

#

I picked the bigger part of that bar

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 4:44 PM

#

basically, the team viewer drive

#

not the Samsung

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 4:45 PM

#

I'll rerun the command sent it over

#

I did not mount the Samsung drive

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 4:46 PM

#

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 4:46 PM

#

I know that one is the one for windows, since there's a size diff

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 4:47 PM

#

cuz disks app pic showed nvme0n1

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 4:48 PM

#

Yeaaa they got reassigned

rn_image_picker_lib_temp_bababcff-5512-4096-87a0-5fa456b68585.jpg

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 4:48 PM

#

no biggie. it just switched the names

#

but anyway, right click in the file manager

#

in the empty file pane area

#

do 'open as root'

#

and then go into 'lost and found'

#

see what's in there

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 4:49 PM

#

A lot of stuff

#

3568 items to be exact

#

Am I looking for anything in particular?

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 4:50 PM

#

what , like all the main linux folders?

#

did the pc have a major power issue? forced shutdown? power failure?

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 4:51 PM

#

Files and folders with in the format # 7digit number

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 4:51 PM

#

yeah it's ... trashed

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 4:52 PM

#

vernal gulch did the pc have a major power issue? forced shutdown? power failure?

Power did cut out like a day or two before this issue if I remember correclt

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 4:52 PM

#

if there's anything in there of value to you, u can pick thru it

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 4:52 PM

#

Dang

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 4:52 PM

#

but otherwise, reinstall

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 4:55 PM

#

Should I do it the same way I did before? I removed the windows SSD then installed mint on the other drive, plugged the windows SSD back in then, after getting mint to start first, updated GRUB

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 4:57 PM

#

yes exactly

#

that way u get an exclusive EFI partition that doesn't meddle with Windows one

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 4:58 PM

#

Cool

#

Most annoying part would be setting the browser back up, thankfully

#

When the installation's done

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 5:00 PM

#

yeah. if you keep a lot of bookmarks, export them , and save the exported file to some completely offline backup drive

fathom lake Jul 5, 2025, 5:01 PM

#

I can used the second USB for that, and will do that here

#

While you're here, is it safe to plug a second USB in to same some files to it whilst I'm on the USB ISO?

vernal gulch Jul 5, 2025, 5:02 PM

#

sure

#Grub bootloader crash now only loads into GRUB CLI or windows